If you’re looking to get drunk with your friends without feeling like you’re pouring acid down your throat, you might want to stick to alcoholic drinks that don’t taste like alcohol. Generally, those kinds of beverages are served cold, since warmth tends to make alcohol more pronounced.
On top of that, drinks usually taste milder when you use top-shelf liquor than when you settle for the cheap stuff. With that in mind, let’s see which cocktails you can order when you don’t feel like drinking something that tastes like mouthwash.
16 Flavorful Alcoholic Drinks That Don’t Taste Like Alcohol
1. Spritzer
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When you don’t feel like having a drink that’s too sweet or high in alcohol content, just go for a spritzer. White Claw Hard Seltzer comes in a variety of flavors, but if you want more control over your drink, you can easily mix it yourself. Just combine equal parts of white wine and soda water in the flavor of your choosing and you’ve got yourself a spritzer.
2. Screwdriver
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If you told more experienced drinkers that you’re looking for alcoholic drinks that don’t taste like alcohol, they’d probably point you toward the Screwdriver. The orange juice usually covers up the vodka fairly thoroughly, especially since that alcohol doesn’t have a distinct flavor. So if you’re ordering a drink for someone who’s never had any alcohol before, that’s as good of a place to start as any.
3. Mimosa
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Like the classic Screwdriver, a mimosa is a drink that conceals its alcoholic content behind a refreshing orange flavor. However, rather than combining orange juice with vodka, this cocktail requires champagne. Generally, you’d want there to be an equal representation of juice and champagne. But you can always adjust that ratio according to your preference.
4. Cosmopolitan
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Unlike the previous drinks on this list, a cosmopolitan typically consists of more than two ingredients. Ideally, you’d have vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and some lime juice. After shaking those ingredients with ice, you’d strain the concoction into a glass and add a wedge of lime as garnish.
The resulting cocktail should be cool, sweet, and citrusy. Even though it has two types of liquor in it, you won’t feel them burning down your throat.
5. Vodka Cranberry
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If cosmos seem too challenging, you can always keep it simple and just drink vodka cranberries. As the name of the beverage suggests, you’ll only need two ingredients — top-shelf vodka and cranberry juice. You can also squeeze some lime in if you’re feeling fancy!
6. Lemonade Vodka Gin
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You’ll find plenty of recipes online for alcoholic lemonade — but here is one version of what that might look like. You’ll want to add one part each of vodka and gin to four parts lemonade. Add some lime juice into the mix and stir it all up. The refreshing citrus flavors will overpower the alcohol.
7. Pink Gin Fizz
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You’ve heard of Ramos gin fizz, but have you ever had pink gin fizz? The sweet, fruity beverage combines equal parts pink gin, grapefruit juice, and orange juice. Before you blend the ingredients in a shaker, splash some simple syrup in for good measure. Strain the mixture into a balloon glass and top it off with lemonade or soda.
8. Pink Grapefruit Vodka
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If you don’t particularly like gin, you can also make a version of the previous cocktail with vodka. You’ll use equal parts vodka and pink grapefruit juice, and smaller amounts of lemon juice and simple syrup. Before you close the lid on your shaker, you can also add some ginger to spice up the mixture. After straining the drink, garnish it with mint and enjoy!
9. Alcoholic Strawberry Lemonade
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For this grown-up twist on a childhood favorite, you’ll need equal parts lemonade, ginger ale, and white spirits. You can pick vodka or gin depending on your preference. Before you add the liquid ingredients into your shaker, throw in some chopped strawberries and crush them with a muddler. Then add the rest of your ingredients, shake, and strain into a glass.
10. The Radler
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Adding lemonade is also a great way to upgrade your basic lager beer. Traditionally, the Radler contains equal parts beer and lemonade but you can experiment to see how far you want to go with it. You can also replace lemonade with other kinds of fruit soda, ginger ale, or even Sprite.
11. Mai Tai
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The Mai Tai cocktail is another refreshing concoction that doesn’t feel too boozy. Traditionally, the beverage does contain both white and dark rum, but you can always just omit one of those to make it more palatable. Alternatively, you could make the orange and lime juice a more dominant part of the drink. After shaking and straining the mixture, add some mint leaves and a pineapple spear as garnish.
12. Apple Juice Cocktail
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The taste of rum overwhelms most other flavors in a drink. But if you pair it with equal parts apple juice and ginger ale, the alcohol will melt into the background. Pour the ingredients directly into a glass filled with ice and add a squeeze of lime juice. Use a sprig of rosemary to stir all the flavors together and drink to your heart’s content!
13. Cuba Libre aka Rum and Coke
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Here’s another drink you can serve on the rocks! Your aspect ratio of cola to rum should be about 2:1, if not higher. After you pour the main ingredients into your glass, add some lime juice and garnish with a lime wedge.
14. Sex on the Beach
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A Sex on the Beach cocktail traditionally contains equal parts vodka, orange juice, and cranberry juice. Additionally, it has about half a measure of peach schnapps, which adds flavor and alcohol into the mix. So if you want to make your Sex on the Beach a bit tamer without losing flavor, remove the vodka. Pour it all into a highball glass filled with ice and add an orange slice as a garnish.
15. Fuzzy Navel
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Like Sex on the Beach, the Fuzzy Navel was an extremely popular drink throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. But unlike the previous entry on this list, this one only requires two ingredients — three if you count the ice! Namely, you’ll just want to pour some orange juice and peach schnapps into a glass. The resulting cocktail will be even lighter than a Screwdriver.
16. White Russian
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On the other hand, if you’re looking for something with a more mature flavor profile, you can try a White Russian. Traditionally, the cocktail contains about five parts vodka, two parts coffee liqueur, and three parts fresh cream.
You’d pour the alcohol into an Old Fashioned glass filled with rocks then put fresh cream on top and watch it all melt together. But since you’re looking for alcoholic drinks that don’t taste like alcohol, you might want to decrease the amount of vodka you’re using.
